Conventionally, a vehicle such as a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle and a fuel-cell vehicle using an electric motor as a driving source has been known. Such a vehicle is provided with a power storage mechanism such as a battery for storing electric power supplied to the electric motor. The electric power generated during regenerative braking or generated by a power generator mounted in the vehicle is stored in the battery.
There are also some vehicles in which electric power is supplied from a power supply external to the vehicle such as a household power supply to the battery mounted in the vehicle for charging the battery. The outlet disposed on the house is coupled to the connector (inlet) provided on the vehicle via a cable to supply electric power from the household power supply to the battery of the vehicle. The vehicle having a battery mounted therein and charged by the power supply provided external to the vehicle is hereinafter also referred to as a plug-in vehicle.
Usually, a plug-in vehicle is charged in the state where the plug-in vehicle is parked in the parking area and the like. In other words, since the ignition switch is turned off, in the state where the ECU (Electronic Control Unit) for controlling the electrical system mounted in the plug-in vehicle is deactivated (the state where the electric power is not supplied to the ECU), the cable is connected to the plug-in vehicle for charging the battery. Accordingly, in order to charge the battery, the ECU should be activated when the cable is connected to the plug-in vehicle. The technique addressing the above-described problems is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 10-304582 (Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 10-304582 discloses an inductive charging device for charging the battery by an inductive current generated in the charging coil which is electromagnetically coupled to a power supply coil, in which the power supply coil is located in the charging position that allows an electromagnetic coupling to the charging coil, which brings about the state where the communication can be carried out. The inductive charging device includes a communication device which outputs an activation signal in response to the communication with the power supply device in the above-described state; and a charging controller activated by the activation signal from the communication device for controlling the charging of the battery by the current of the charging coil. When the power supply coil is located in the charging position, the charging controller is activated based on the communication by the communication device to start the charging.
According to the inductive charging device disclosed in this document, when the power supply coil is located in the charging position at the start of charging, the communication device is brought into the state where the communication can be carried out. For example, a limit switch that is closed when the power supply coil is located in the charging position is provided such that current is supplied to the communication device while the limit switch is closed. In this state, the communication device communicates with the power supply device and outputs an activation signal in response to the communication. Consequently, the charging controller is activated and the battery is charged under the control of the charging controller.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 10-304582